If the right types of memes are used in the correct way, then the benefits of using memes as part of a marketing strategy are huge. Oftentimes, I see companies brush memes aside because they think memes are off-brand and tacky. Especially companies offering professional services.
I can totally understand this perception of them and the reason why some brands choose not to use them. However, memes and/or funny videos are probably one of the most effective types of content for getting high social media engagement. But there are many more benefits of using them.
In this article, I’m going to cover 3 reasons why using memes as part of your marketing strategy can greatly benefit your business.
Benefits of Using Memes (Some You Might Not Know About)
#1 Going Viral
The most obvious benefit of using them is high engagement. As mentioned before, memes can yield very high engagement on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
However, great ones have the ability to go viral. Going viral has obvious benefits. These include significantly boosting the awareness of your brand’s social media channels. Which in turn can boost the awareness of your brand.
But what’s the best way to go viral?
Going viral relies on a few factors. While the quality is key, the truth is that going viral is simply a matter of timing. When I say “timing”, I’m largely referring to following trending topics and striking at the right time. Creating memes based on hot trends and posting them before the trend has peaked.
Going viral can take some practice, trial and error, and patience. However, being persistent and creating trend-based memes is a surefire way to reach incredibly high engagement. This will gain you more brand exposure as a result.
#2 Using Memes for Social Listening
Social listening is the process of monitoring the views and sentiment of your target audience. Giving you the ability to make better business and marketing strategy decisions.
If you want to know what the vast majority of your audience is thinking and feeling right now, find some recently posted memes. Look at the viral ones that have a high engagement. Use them to decipher what your audience truly wants.
Memes are one of the most popular ways that people on the internet communicate their thoughts and feelings. This is why you can also use them as a powerful social listening tool.
You can discover how your target audience feels about the industry you’re in, their pain points, and things that they’d like to see improved. Essentially, if you look closely enough, you could find new gaps in the market. These gaps help you better target your audience or improve your business.
You can gain a lot of insight into the latest trends and customer sentiment just by looking at the latest memes relating to your industry. Utilize these to inform developments and changes to your marketing strategy.
#3 Create a Relatable Brand Persona & Connecting with Your Audience
Most consumers hate the robotic, corporate brand personas that many companies use. They often fail to gain new customers. However, memes are an awesome way to tackle this issue.
If you feel that your brand is struggling to connect with your target audience, you’ll most likely notice a big difference in engagement once you start getting creative and posting memes.
You can think of memes as virtual or digital ice-breakers.
They help to change your brand’s marketing perception from ‘strictly business’ to ‘relatable and funny’. That enables audiences to quickly feel more connected to brands.
This is why memes are a great way for new or lesser-known brands to build their online following, as relatable ones can almost instantly create a connection between
Now, depending on the type of business you operate, this does not mean you need to compromise the seriousness of your business. For example, if you run a financial advice company, you don’t necessarily need to constantly post them and turn your company’s social channels into a comedy platform.
However, using occasional memes — once a day or a few times per week — will help you gain the benefits associated with memes while maintaining your professional brand identity.
To Meme or Not to Meme?
I know many brands wince and the thought of stepping foot into meme culture, usually with the fear of being off-brand.
However, most businesses can benefit greatly by using memes — not just by creating them but also by analyzing memes posted by their target audience to better understand consumer sentiment.
When used correctly, memes are a great way of better connecting with your target audience without compromising the seriousness of your business.
If you’d like to know more about improving your marketing strategy, better connecting with customers, or growing your business, check out the latest posts on the Intentionally Inspirational blog.
Written by Lewis James